Pressure applying machines



May 3, 1960 H. J. WILLMOTT 2,934,771

PRESSURE APPLYING MACHINES Original Filed Feb, 16, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 3, 1960 H. J. WILLMOTT PRESSURE APPLYING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 16', 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 3, 1960 H. J. wlLLMoT-r PRESSURE APPLYING MACHINES original med Feb. 1e, 195e 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 nited States Patent PRESSURE APPLYING MAcrnNEs Y Herbert I. Willmott, Beverly, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, NJ., and Boston, Mass., a corporation of New Jersey Original application February 16, 1956, Serial No.

566,022, now Patent No. 2,883,685, dated April 28, l

1959. Divided and this application October 28, 1958, Serial No. 770,067

s claims. (ciu-21) `This invention relates to machines for operating on outsolesto prepare them for cement attachment to shoes, and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine of thev type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,443,693, granted lune 22, 1948, upon an application tiled inthe name of Hans C. Paulsen, for applying pressure to loose outsoles, the attaching faces of which have been precoated with a thermoplastic cement, to mold them to the desired shape in conformity with the bottoms of shoes to which they are to be attached and simultaneously therewith activating the cement, to permit the i-mmediate -attachment of the molded soles to shoe bottoms. The present application is a divisionol:V my pending application, Serial No. 566,022, tiled February 16, 1956, now Patent No. 2,883,685, granted April`28, 1959.

In operating upon a loose sole to apply molding pressure thereto, it is important that the sole be so positioned on its support with relation to the pressure applying mold member or form that its longitudinal center line will be located approximately in register with the corresponding center line o'r the form. It is also desirable that the sole to be molded should be so positioned that the socalled VVbreak line of the sole, namely, the line marking the junction of the ball line and the shank portion, will l be substantially in register with the line of maximum bulge on the work-engaging surface of the mold or lform.

`For this purpose prior machines have been provided with mechanical gages movable relatively 'to the sole supportV tot engage the `sole at diiferent localities and position it lengthwise and widthwise of the support. Such sole positioning gages are disclosed, for example, in United States Letters Patent No. 2,607,057, granted August ,19, 1952, upon an application ltiled in the name of L. D. Alderman, wherein the sole to be molded is supported on a ilexible blanket extending between the co-operating mold 'members and is positioned onY the blanket by gages which are `operated at the beginning of movement of one of the mold, members toward the other inold member to position the sole `on the blanket relatively tothe mold mem- "bers, and which-are retracted during continued movement jfot said one of the mold members.

- 'With a view to obviating theuse of such intricate gage mechanisms, it has been -proposed to provide sole-positioning means as an integral part off the blanket itself. iSueh an arrangement is disclosed in United Sta-tes Letters Patent No. 2,287,242, granted June 23, 1942, upon ap- .,gplication ofpF. V. Hart, wherein a sole supporting rubber blanket `is-forrned with shoulders A'adapted to engage the edge Iface of a sole placed Von the blanket at its toe end and at onesside respectively to locate the sole lengthwise and laterally ofthe mold members, the blanket being adjustable to vary the position of the sole-engaging shoul- Jidrslin accordance with variations inthe sizes of soles to operated on in .themachine i Itk is an object of the-present invention to provide, in

a sole molding machine, a sole supporting blanket of the type disclosed in the Hart patent above referred to, hav- 2,934,771 Patented May 3, 1960 0 longitudinally and transversely of the pad box to vary the location of the pattern in the blanket with respect to the work-engaging surface of the pressure applying mold.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a twin sole molding'and cement activating machine in which the invention is ernbodied; l

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation, partly in section, of the pad box of one station of the machine provided with a exible sole supporting blanket; and Fig. 3 is a plan View illustrating means provided on the sole supporting blanket -for aiding in accurately positioning a sole thereon.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a twin station machine for simultaneous molding of a pair of outsoles coated on their attaching faces with a thermoplastic cement and simultaneously activating the cement to prepare the soles for immediate attachment to shoe bottoms, preferably in a twin station sole attaching machine located alongside the molding and activating machine, the two machines being interconnected and synchronized to operate as a unit, -in the manner disclosed in my ,previously mentioned co-pending application.

The machine comprises a base 10 (Fig. l) in the form ofV a housing containing fluid pressure mechanism for imparting relative movement between the co-operating mold members. A post 12 extending upwardly from the base 10 supports a casting 14 having at each of its opposite ends a depending boss 15 to which is secured a plate 16 bolted to a second plate 18. The plate 18 is provided with a downwardly extending T-shaped projection 2t) (Fig. 2) adapted to engage in a similarly shaped groove 22 formed in the top of a metal mold or form 24 which is adjustable lengthwise with relation to the plate 18. The mold 24 is heated by an electric unit 26 controlled by a thermostat 28 (Fig. l) to heat the mold to the Vrequired temperature to activate the thermoplastic cement on an outsole S during the molding operation Without risk of damaging the outsole material. A ther- -mometer 30 (Fig. 2) mounted in the mold indicates -at alltimes the temperature of the mold member. To in- `sure that the `molded outsole will not adhere to the mold after activation of the cement, the moldv is preferably coated with a composition such as polytetrauorethylene, which is sold commercially under the name of Teflon and is a heat and Vsolvent resistant material known to have a low -friction coeicient. A switch 32 (Fig. 1) is provided for the heating unit 26.

In the casting 14 at each station of the machine is `formed a cabinet 34 having therein a grid 36l for supporta suitable temperature to activate the thermoplastic ce- `men`t on the bottoms 4of the shoes to which the molded -soles are to be attached.

Theheated `mold 24 "at each station co-operates with 'aflower moldgenerally'indicated bythe reference numer- 44 which is secured to a plate 46 carried by a bracket 47 supported at the upper end of a piston (not shown) forming part of the fluid pressure mechanism housed in the base 10 and by which the lower mold is moved to pressure-applying position relative to the upper mold 24. The uid pressure system is disclosed in my previously mentioned co-pending application to which reference may be had for a detailed description.

In the box l42 is mounted a block o-f Vhard wood 48 (Fig. 2) supporting a mold member consisting of a resilient pad 49 having a molding surface complemental to the work-engaging surface of the mold or form 24.

For supporting a sole between the mold members 24, 49 there is provided a flexible rubber blanket 50 with which is integrally formed, preferably by vulcanization, visual gaging means enabling the operator to locate the sole accurately with relation to the upper mold member 24. As herein illustrated, the visual gaging means is formed by a plurality of spaced `dots or inserts 52 (see Fig. 3) arranged in a pattern corresponding to the contour of a sole and of an area large enough to accommodate the largest sole to be molded, a row of similarly spaced dots or inserts 52 being disposed transversely of the pattern for locating the ball line of each sole on the blanket, thereby to aid the operator in posi* tioning soles of different sizes for operation thereon of the mold 24. It will be understood that the gaging means may consist of a continuous design corresponding to the contour of a sole. Preferably, the gaging means should -beof a color different from that of the blanket. The blanket 50 is mounted for adjustment longitudinally and transversely of the pad box 42 on pins 54 (Figs. 1 and 2) received in the hooked upper ends 56 of yokes or arms S, 58 pivotally mounted on shafts 62, 62 extending transversely through the end walls of the pad box and secured against rotation by setscrews 64 threaded through the end walls.

` The blanket 50 is maintained in stretched condition by tension springs 66 and 68 (Figs. 1 and 2). The spring 66 has one end hooked through a hole 70 provided in the lower outer end of the left-hand arm 58 and its other end is attached to a pin 72 lixed in the lower mid-portion of the front side wall of the box. The spring 68 has one end hooked through a hole 73 provided in the lower end of the right-hand arm 58 audits other end is attached to the pin 72. The position of the exible blanket 50 lengthwise of the pad box may be initially adjusted to locate the row of dots or inserts 52 substantially in register with the bulging portion of the work engaging surface of the mold or form 24 so as to apply eifective molding pressure along the so-called break line or ball line of the sole. For this purpose an adjusting screw 74 (Fig. 2) is threaded through the lower end of the arm 58 at the left end of the pad box and is maintained against the corresponding end wall of the box by the spring 66. 'The blanket y50 may be shifted bodily to the right or left, with reference to Fig. 2, by turning the screw 74 in one direction or the other, a lock nut 76 being provided. for maintaining the screw in the adjusted position. A stop 77 is provided on the inner end wall of the pad box to limit swinging movement of the arm 58 at that end of the pad box in the event the blanket should break.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for operating on outsoles coated on their attaching faces with a thermoactive cement to shape the soles and activate the cement thereon for immediate attachment to shoe bottoms, the combination of a heated mold arranged to engage the cemented side of a sole to activate the cement, a complementally shaped mold member co-operating with the heated mold to shape the sole, a support for said complementally shaped mold `aussen member, arms pivoted at opposite sides of said support, a resilient blanket carried by said arms for supporting a sole between the co-operating molds, visual sole locating means on the sole-engaging surface of said blanket comprising a design having a contour generally corresponding to the contour of a sole. to. be operated upon to assist in locating the sole with relation to the sole-engaging surface of the heated mold, said design including a transversely extending line corresponding to the ball line of the sole tobe molded, and means for varying the angu'- lar position of said blanket carrying arms relatively to the support for the complementally shaped mold member, thereby to shift the resilient blanket lengthwise so as to locate said transversely extending line substantially in register with the corresponding line on the work-engaging surface of the heated mold.

2. A sole moldingV machine having, in combination with a pair of cooperating molds relatively movable to applymolding pressure to a sole,A a resilient sole-supporting blanket disposed between said molds and having incorporated therein, in a color different from that of the blanket material, a pattern corresponding generally to the contour of a sole of the largest size and including a transversely extending line with which the ball line ofthe sole to be molded is registered to locate the sole, irrespective of its size, in position to be operated upon by thc molds.

3. A sole molding machine having, in combination with .a pair of cooperating molds relatively movable to apply molding pressure to a sole, a resilient sole-supporting blanket disposed between said molds and having incorporated therein, in a color different from that of the blanket material, a pattern corresponding generally to the contour of a sole of the largest size and including a transversely extending line corresponding to the ball line of the sole'and with reference to which soles of different sizes may be positioned on the blanket for operation of the molds thereon, and means for shifting the blanket bodily to vary the location of said transversely extending line initially relative ,toone of said molds.

4. A sole molding machine having, in combination with a pair of complementally shaped molds relatively movable to apply molding pressure to a sole, a resilient soleLsupporting blanket disposed between said molds and having incorporated therein, in a color diiferent from that of the blanket material, a plurality of spaced inserts arranged in a pattern corresponding generally vto the outline of a sole of the largest size, and additional in` serts extending vtransversely of said pattern in a line corresponding to the ball line of a sole and with reference to which soles of ditferent sizes may be located on the blanket in position to be operated upon by the molds.

5. A sole molding machine having, in combination with a pair of complementally shaped molds relativcly movable to apply molding pressure to a sole, a resilient sole-supporting blanket disposed between said molds and having incorporated therein, in a color different from that of the blanket material, a plurality of spaced inserts arranged in a pattern corresponding generally to the outline of a sole of the largest size and a row of additional inserts disposed transversely of said pattern in a.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,006,071 Edwards June 25, 1935 2,287,242 Hart June 23, 1942 2,443,693

Paulsen June 22, 1948 .Mame/f) 

